


The Zora Bride

by EchoGekkos



Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: AU, Action & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Princess Bride AU, alternative universe, more character tags to be added - Freeform, with some original ideas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:20:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29988297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoGekkos/pseuds/EchoGekkos
Summary: In the land of Hyrule where struggle and strife still lord for many, a Hylian boy and a Zora girl make a pledge of true love. Yet forces move in this world that disrupts their bond, setting the Zora on an unwilling and dangerous path; a dread pirate, kidnappers, a murderous count, and a scheming prince. She must overcome these obstacles before her, lest her very life be lost. But not all hope is lost, for there will forever be one who will always come back for her, no matter what stands in their way. A Princess Bride AU.
Relationships: Link/Mipha (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 20





	The Zora Bride

**Mipha**

In Mipha’s opinion, there was nothing better than the weight of a waterfall crashing against her red scales as she swam up the cascading water. Many Zora simply saw it as just another, more advanced technique for their race. For her, it was _everything_. The adrenaline building within her as she made for the top thrilled her. The pumping of her legs and head fin as she fought against gravity and the weight of the water bearing down on her made her feel strong. Waterfall climbing made her feel _alive_. Especially since what came next also made the effort well worth it. 

Breaching the top of the fall, she arced through the air, twisting her body over to re-align herself. Her outfit, which consisted of silver jewelry, gold colored cloth cords, and a deep blue sash, fluttered furiously around her. As she fell back down towards the lake below, her feet connected with the falls, which for her acted as a semi-solid surface. Through the falling water she carved her way down. Twenty feet above the surface, the Zora launched herself off the waterfall and faced headfirst into a dive.

Mipha sliced through the water, coming up quickly to the surface. A smile broke out from the exhilaration that flooded her body, the adrenaline rush still leaving her with that spike of energy.

Turning her head, she spotted a lone fishing boat with a Hylian inside. He had long blonde hair that reached his shoulders, some of it tied back into a ponytail. He wore a blue cloth tunic and tan pair of trousers complete with leather boots. A pair of turquoise earrings hung off his ears, a gift Mipha had given him years ago. She had never seen him without the jewelry since.

“How was that?” she asked him as she swam over to his boat. Mipha could smell the succulent aroma of raw fish inside, making her stomach rumble with light hunger. Sure enough, climbing onto the boat carefully so as to not rock it too much, she spotted his quarry: a small wicker basket full of a dozen or so of hylian bass. There was also a crude spear and a wooden oar that rested in the bottom of the boat. 

The Hylian was loosely holding a yew longbow, while a quiver full of goose-fletched arrows lay against the side of the wooden vessel. Bowfishing. The Zora’s primary way of fishing throughout Ruto Lake. While swimming through the lake to hunt for fish was easier, bite marks were noticeable, and would not sell in the Hylian markets. Bowfishing _was_ a requirement. Which meant boats and bows for the fisherzora, and for Link in his case, to fish from in order to keep their arrow fletching dry.

“Fifteen seconds faster,” Link said with a sigh. He moved from his perch, sitting down in the boat to face her. “You also scared off all the fish.”

“Sorry,” Mipha said sheepishly. She didn’t like to make his work harder, but she couldn’t help wanting to spend time with him. Link was her best friend after all.

“Do you mind if I have one?” she said, her amber eyes spying the basket of fish again.

“Not at all. It’s my pleasure.”

 _It’s my pleasure_. Any request she gave him, he always ended his sentences with those three words. At first, he hardly spoke to her, a Hylian orphan amongst a lake full of Zora. Yet over time, as they began to form their friendship, he would always end his sentences with those three words to any request she made of him. She found it slightly irritating at first, but much more endearing later. For years she assumed he was simply being polite, being the Chieftain’s daughter and all. Now though, she recently learned that his statement had a true meaning. Gaddison and Kodah overheard him admitting to Bazz and Rivan that every time he said ‘It’s my pleasure’, he actually was saying ‘I love you’.

How was she supposed to process that? Deal with that? To have this wonderful Hylian, her best friends, putting such emotions to her and only her. That he loved her.

Because by the Goddess, she had been in love with him for years. Her attraction was subtle at first, but as she hit her young adult years, Mipha began seeing him in a different light. His sparkling eyes managed to make her blood race. His smile never failed to heat her core. His care and kindness, the way he made sure she was never left wanting for anything, warmed her heart and nearly made her cry at his compassion; second to only her father and little brother.

Not to mention, those three little words now did things to her heart that consistently made it skip a beat.

He didn’t know how she felt towards him. That she reciprocated, that his love was requited. But maybe after tonight, if she could work up the courage, he would.

“Thank you,” she managed out with a blush.

She grabbed the top fish, which squirmed lightly in her hands. She quickly snapped the fish, breaking its spine and ending its life as mercifully as possible. A silent prayer played in her head to Lord Jabu-Jabu, thanking him for the blessing of his children. Her sharp teeth then sunk into the fish flesh, delectable juices and oil flooding her mouth as she ate.

Link rested the longbow next to his spear, trading it for the oar. The Hylian then planted it within the water and began rowing back towards the shore of Ruto Lake. The waning sun of the day sparkled off the water as the prow of the boat easily cut through the semi-turbulent surface of the lake. Mipha could hear faint _thwips_ and splashes of arrows being shot into the water, as other fisherzora plied their trade.

Mipha shifted her gaze to the side as she ate, watching the water slip by the side of the vessel. Through the water, she could barely spy the sunken ruins of the Old Domain. Derelict structures of luminous stone littered the lakebed, covered in a coat of moss and algae. They were a mark of a bygone age, when her people were still prosperous.

Turning her head back around, she could see the buildings of the new Domain coming into view. Established on the shores of the lake were similar luminous stone buildings like the ones that dotted the lakebed. These rose out of both the land and water, with platforms that stretched between them. The homes and terraces were supported by multitudes of low-squat pillars, adjusted to account for the occasional flooding of the lake during the rainy seasons. Zora meandered through the winding risen paths, some carrying baskets of fish, while children ran among the adults, laughing and playing games.

Mipha looked upon her home with pride. Slowly, the majesty of the Old Domain was being revived. Generations of Zora stonecutters, their trade passed down from master to apprentice, continued the expansion of the Domain to this day for the ever-growing families. However, the process was a laggard crawl. Luminous stone was not cheap, and mining it themselves was out of the question. The mason barons of Hyrule, Hylian nobles of the Kingdom’s Court, controlled the entire trade. They were a complete monopoly, so prices were kept high, especially for the Zora people. Her father, Dorephan, suspected favoritism for Hylians buyers over the other vassal races. Regardless, whatever spare rupees her father could gather from donations during boon years were spent on the stone in order to expand and maintain their small hold. 

Yet, despite the exorbitant prices, and the passively disdained treatment they received, Mipha counted her people lucky. At least they were still somewhat autonomous compared to the Gorons. Poor souls. 

Finishing the fish, Mipha dropped the now cleaned carcass into the water; then grabbed a hold of a spare oar in the boat to help Link row. Alongside their boat, Mipha spotted a few other fishing vessels that were returning to shore with their day’s catch as well. The Zora closest to their own boat gave them waves, to which Link and Mipha returned.

Eventually, she felt the bottom of the boat scraped against the soft sand and mud of the shore. With oars discarded back into the bottom of the boat, Link and Mipha hopped out and moved to the front. Both then grabbed the prow and pulled the boat up onto the shore.

“It’s been a good year,” she heard Link mutter. Mipha nodded in agreement. They had a surplus fish this season, especially the breeds that were in high demand. Stocking hylian bass, and more valuable species such as hearty salmon, and sanke carp had led to an influx of rupees from Central Hyrule. The former for its flavor which was favored among the Hylian commoners, and the latter for a bizarre fascination with Hylian nobility. She still really didn’t understand why. Sanke carp was bland at best raw. Link had even told her that he needed to use a heavy amount of herbs and spices to carry the fish. Yet the nobles could not get enough, paying hefty prices for a whole crate full. It wasn’t just the fish the Hylians were fascinated with. Even their lotus root distilled vodka was gaining traction among the different pubs in Castle Town. 

The Domain soon found itself the talk of Hyrule. So much so that some of the Hylian nobility had started to come to visit the lake. Some even brought a few belongings with them, and treated the area as a vacation spot.

 _That_ had dredged up underlying anger amongst the Zora. Many still blamed the old Hyrulean families for their current plight. It had taken her father a whole bunch of promises, bribes, and an arm and a leg in order to placate the population. As the leader of their people, he had to remind them that angering the Hylian nobility, and the Royal Family by extension, would destroy all they so far worked for.

Mipha understood where her father was coming from, and could see how the interest from the Royal Court would further the wealth of the Domain. But sometimes, under the stress of the day’s toils, she couldn’t help but fester a little hatred for the race that ruined her people.

Not Link though. Never Link. As far as she was concerned, he was of the Domain, through and through. For he himself was a castaway, a piece of driftwood discarded from losing the two people who brought him into this world. Even to this day her heart still cried for his loss. Yet, at the very least, she knew that among her people he had found a home and so much more.

“You okay?” Link asked her, placing an arm on her shoulder.

She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Link looked skeptical. He retracted his hand before reaching into the boat and grabbing the wicker basket of fish. “I’ve got to bring this to the storehouse.”

“Alright,” she said. Mipha looked down and grabbed her arm fin, playing with the yellow and blue colored frills. She just needed to ask him. To commit. 

_Why did being in love have to be so hard_?

“Link?”

“Hmmm?”

“Can I, well…what I mean to say is...Will you meet me later this evening? At Jabu’s Shrine?”

He gave her a warm smile. “Of course. It’s my pleasure.”

_Hylia, Lord Jabu-Jabu, Nayru, still my heart and give me the courage to tell this man I love him as easily as he tells me._

“G-great! I’ll see you then!”

She watched him as he hefted the basket under his arm and left for the storehouse. Her eyes did not leave his form until he finally left her sight.

⧫⧫⧫

“You finally did it.”

Later that day, Mipha sat around her father’s home, in a spacious dining room. A small chandelier hung overhead, candles burning with wax dripping down the sides. The sound of fire crackled nearby inside of a hearth, which flanked the stone dining table she sat at. Across from her sat her two friends, Kodah and Gaddison. Kodah had red scales like her, more scarlet in tone than Mipha’s own crimson color. Gaddison on the other hand had light violet scales, a rarity amongst her people. It was something she always talked about with pride. 

Mipha blushed. “I haven’t told him yet, but I will tonight.”

“Took you long enough,” Gaddison continued. “But at least you got your foot in the water. Now you just need to finish diving in.”

Ever since eavesdropping on Link, and learning his love for Mipha, the two girls had been insistent that Mipha _had_ to admit her own feelings for him. After all, Mipha had confided in Kodah and Gaddison about her feelings towards Link; from when they were just both friends to her eventual love.

“I know. I just need to follow my heart.”

“By Nayru, you so sound so sappy talking about it,” Kodah nagged.

“Don’t mind her, she’s still a little sore over Link.”

“I am not!” Kodah said, her voice cutting through Mipha’s thoughts. “I’ll have you know that I had my suspicions for a while, and smothered that silly little crush for him.”

Kodah’s statement seemed genuine...Mipha hoped. For she had not been the only one to fall in love with the infallible Hylian. Kodah, among others, had sought for his affection. Yet never once did Link turn his eyes towards Kodah, or anyone else for that matter. For apparently Link only kept Mipha in his sights.

She felt bad for her friend that her love was unrequited. And yet, for Mipha, to know for Link that it had always been her he sought after, that he fell in love with...that he kept her in his heart. Well, the thought even now made her throat clasp up in joy.

“Besides, she’s just trying to throw you off her scent,” Gaddison persisted, ignoring Kodah’s protest. “I’ve seen you and Kayden spending time down by the shore when you think you’re alone.”

“WAIT! HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!?!”

“‘Cause you just admitted it to me.”

Mipha laughed alongside Gaddison as Kodah’s face flushed furiously, to which the latter put her head in her hands. _That_ was an interesting new development. She never figured Kodah falling for someone like Kayden; the quiet boy who helped his parents run the Seabed Tavern. She knew that they had been good friends since childhood, but to take it further than that? Mipha stopped her musing short. _Carp calling the trout caught_. She shouldn’t be surprised. After all, she’s the one who fell in love with her best friend.

“So, got anything planned,” Gaddison said to Mipha with a sly grin. “Candlelit dinner? Love poems read under the sun on the shore? Oh! A hot makeout session at the bottom of the lake?”

“N-no! Nothing of the sort! Aside from Link’s inability to breathe underwater, which shouldn’t be a factor in the first place...I want to keep it simple. So I am going to tell him how I feel at Jabu’s Shrine.”

“Ah, so the pure romantic route...confessions under the moonlight at a place of importance. Boring, but classy.”

“You are insufferable,” Mipha said with a sigh.

“She really is,” Kodah chimed in, her head still in her hands.

“Hey, I’m not the one falling in love here.”

Kodah picked herself back up, shooting daggers at Gaddison. “So when you do eventually fall in love, we get to torment _you_ endlessly then?”

Gaddisson shrugged. “I suppose so. _If_ you remember, and _if_ I fall in love.”

“I think we will manage. After all, if I remember correctly, you were the one practically eating Rivan’s face five years ago,” Mipha added with mirth. 

“Hey, that only happened once! I was stupid back then, and I wanted to know what the big deal was about kissing.”

“Yes,” Kodah replied, her too coming over with a fit of giggles, “but the whole Domain was informed of it as Rivan ran around, shouting that he finally kissed you.”

Mipha was trying to hold back her own chuckles as memories came flooding back. “And then Trello found out later. So he—he grabbed Rivan by his head fin….” Mipha couldn’t continue as she clutched her stomach, losing her willpower to hold back her laughter.

“He had grabbed Rivan by his head fin... and dragged him right up to you while we were there…. And then...” Kodah could not finish either as she fell into her own fit of laughter.

“And then he shouted at me,” Gaddison said with a smile. She then deepened her voice to mimic the older Zora. “ _I’ll not have you corrupting my little man of the lake! Now apologize for tempting my son with your wicked ways!_ ”

Soon the entire dining room was filled with howls of laughter. Mipha’s stomach began to cramp. Gaddison’s fist was hitting the table, and poor Kodah had begun hiccuping, her head planted right onto the table as she sucked in wind.

“That never fails to have me laughing my head off,” Kodah said as the giggles died in her throat.

“I feel bad for _anyone_ who wants to date Rivan in the future,” Gaddison said. “Trello is a force to be reckoned with.”

“At least we got men with some class, right Mipha?”

Mipha smiled and shook her head. “We’ll see after tonight.”

“Oh come on. We all know how Link is absolutely head over heels for you. There’s no way Mr. _It’s my pleasure_ is going to say no.”

 _Nayru_. Sometimes Mipha felt she really didn’t deserve Gaddison and Kodah. They had been such good friends and confidants over the years. While Link was her best friend and the man she loves, Gaddison and Kodah were ever steadfast in their support of her. Just as she was steadfast in her support for them as well.

“Thank you. Both of you. My heart still feels it will leap out of my chest of the thought of tonight. But with courage, I’ll see it through..”

“That’s love, Mipha,” Gaddison said. “Makes a Zora feel strange and do stupid things.”

⧫⧫⧫

Later that evening, Mipha patiently waited for Link at the shrine to Lord Jabu-Jabu. A full moon climbed high into the sky, shining blue light over the calm waters of Ruto Lake. Jabu’s Shrine was located on the eastern end of the lake. The large stone monument had been erected in honor of the God of Fish. There, offerings to Lord Jabu-Jabu were placed, in hopes of prayers of good fortune for the life and health of the lake.

Mipha was kneeling down in front of the outdoor sanctum, just finishing her own prayer to Lord Jabu-Jabu. She had no offerings with her but still hoped her prayer would still reach the Lakelord. She had thanked him for the blessing of a wonderful fishing season, and hoped that he would be kind enough to bless the Zora with another successful season next year.

Mipha suddenly heard footsteps behind her, causing her heart to immediately begin racing. Turning her head slightly, she could see Link approaching from behind. Mipha took a few deep breaths, willing her heart to calm down as she got up from the ground.

“I’m here,” Link asked her as he approached.

“Y-yes, you are,” Mipha started, the worlds strangled in her throat. She did a polite cough. “Thank you for coming.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Mipha felt her cheeks heat up. She shouldn’t have been surprised by his response but by Nayru, it did not help her increasing nervousness. She looked down, a hand fiddling with the cords around her chest.

“I wanted to...well...it’s not easy to say this.”

Link looked at her puzzled. Mipha shook her head. This was not how she wanted to start this. But she needed to push forward. She _had_ to.

“Do you remember when we first met?”

Link gave her a frown and nodded. Good, he hadn’t forgotten. It was a memory that would never leave her mind, despite the trauma behind it.

“You were such a reckless child, getting yourself injured at every turn.”

“I had tried to dive off the Veiled Falls,“ Link quietly added. “Watched you do it for months. Didn’t realize how turbulent the etty was below.”

Mipha reached up to graze a hand across his forehead, where a faint scar was the only indicator of an old wound earned a decade ago. “I had seen your dive off the falls from nearby, but never saw you come up. So I went into the plunge pool to find your body spinning around in the current, unconscious and bleeding. You had been pushed down to the bottom from your dive and hit your head on a boulder below.”

A shiver ran down Mipha’s spine. It was rare, but sometimes the memory still appeared in her nightmares. But in those, it was Link as he was now, instead of the child he was then.

She felt him cup her cheek with a calloused hand; earned from years of fishing and toiling labor in the Domain. Her amber eyes stared into his sparkling blue, and Mipha found she was losing herself in his gaze.

“Then you saved me,” he whispered. “And I have been grateful ever since...why it has always been my pleasure to do _anything_ for you. I owe you my life and more.”

Mipha leaned into his touch, feeling the warmth radiating from his skin. He was holding her with such care, like a precious jewel to be coveted. The love that emanated from his touch was palpable. If she hadn’t been informed before, this could have been the moment she realized that he loved her. 

Mipha took a deep breath, swallowing the butterflies building in her throat and chest. She moved her other hand not on his brow to cover his own touching her cheek.

“Link. I know. I know what it means when you say _It’s my pleasure._ ”

The color drained from his face, with nervousness and fright filling in. “What? No. I—”  
  
“I love you too.”

Her hand on his brow snaked around to the back of her head. Mipha leaned up, letting her lips gently brush with his. His lips were soft and supple as she moved her mouth against his. Link was still as a board, his lips only parted involuntarily, instinctively as she gently kissed him.

Why wasn’t he kissing her back? A brief moment passed before Mipha moved back. Her eyes searched his face for anything that resembled love. He merely looked stunned. 

“You...I...” Mipha started. Fears and doubts began to flood her heart. Was she wrong? Was this some cruel joke played by Gaddison and Kodah? Did Link really not…?

“I never thought,” Link quiet whisper interrupted her thoughts, “you felt the same way.”

The fear and despair that was gripping her chest faded. Elation and adrenaline flooded in to take their place. The dam broke, and Mipha found herself exuberantly kissing Link, which he returned in equal energy. She put her passion, her love, her yearning for him for years into every press of her lips. Link was doing the same, as he barely left them both any moment to breathe. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the two broke away from each other, breaths heavy as they gasped for air.

“It took me a while to figure out how you felt about me,” Mipha said. “But I have loved you for a long time. Sorry for making you wait for my answer. I hope you can forgive m—.”

Link leaned in for another kiss, cutting her off. She pulled him in again and ran a stray hand through his hair. His wonderful hair that she was ever fascinated with, her fingers twirling their way through his long locks that were so foreign to a Zora. She relished in the silky smooth touch that brushed across her scales. 

Links own hand had found her head-tail, where he began stroking the underside. Mipha moaned with delight. Someone must have told him how pleasurable it felt to have the underside massaged, where the scales were more sensitive. He was a little clumsy at first, but soon found a good rhythm, causing Mipha to melt in his grip.

Goddess, he tasted and felt better than she could ever imagine.

“You were worth the wait,” he managed out between planting his lips with hers.

After a few more minutes they finally broke away again. Both Link and Mipha moved their arms down to hold each other at their waist. 

Mipha stared up into his eyes and found nothing but love in his gaze. She found her heart weeping in joy to be held by him like this. To kiss him as she did. For Link to express his love and desires for _her_ and her alone as he did.

This would be a night she would never forget.

**Author's Note:**

> So here it is, a Princess Bride Miphlinked AU. I absolutely adore this movie. Thank Ebony McCloud ended up getting the idea stuck in my head, and only-by-the-stars for encouraging me to write it.
> 
> Thank you to the entire Squad for brainstorming and bouncing ideas off with me. I don' think the outline and the ideas for the story would be where they are now without you
> 
> Unfortunately, this means Healing Touch is going on the backburner...again....officially. But it's something I will slowly develop and have ready to fully pursue after this AU is done.


End file.
